LIFE. BUSINESS. SPORT.
The benefits of mentoring are infinite!
Studies show that good mentoring can lead to greater success in life, business and sport.
It’s important to remember that mentoring is not a magic wand that automatically creates success. As with many things in life, the truth is that effective mentoring takes effort, and creating successful mentoring relationships requires specific skills, empathy, and structure from both the mentor and the mentee.
Qualities to look for in a Mentor
A desire to develop and help others
A good mentor is sincerely interested in helping someone else without any “official” reward. Good mentors do it because they genuinely want to see someone else succeed.
A willingness to share failures and personal experiences
Mentors need to share both their “how I did it right” and their “how I did it wrong” stories to provide valuable opportunities for learning.
A growth mindset and learning attitude
The best educators have always been and always will be those who remain curious learners themselves.
Skill in developing others
This includes the very real skills of: active listening, asking powerful, open-ended questions, self-reflection, providing feedback and being able to share stories that include personal anecdotes, case examples, and honest insight.
What makes a good Mentee?
Just as there are specific characteristics of a successful mentor, there are attributes and sensibilities that make for a good mentee.
Mentees need to be:
- Committed to expanding their capabilities and focused on achieving results.
- Clear about their goals, needs, and wants.
- Willing to ask for help, show vulnerability, and explore different paths and perspectives.
- Able to seek and accept feedback and act upon it.
- Be personally responsible and accountable.
- Ready, willing, and able to meet on a regular basis.
The Mentoring relationship
A mentoring relationship must be managed and nurtured
It is a joint venture that requires both parties to actively attend to its care and feeding.
A mentoring relationship is like any other relationship—it takes time to develop. And like other relationships, it will grow faster and stronger if both parties take the time to get to know each other as people. Build trust by learning about each other!
Set the agenda
At the outset, both parties need to be clear about the purpose and focus of the mentoring.
Reflect and evaluate
Every few meetings, the Mentor should ask their Mentee: “How is this going for you? What’s been helpful? What hasn’t? What could I do differently to make this a more rewarding experience?”
Mentoring is a great opportunity to deliver a rewarding and potentially life-changing experience for both the mentor and the mentee but it is well worth the effort.
